9 Different Types of Emails You Should Send Your Customers

Email marketing is an essential part of any successful digital strategy.

Emails have evolved from being just a simple tool for exchanging personal messages to widespread usage in business communication. Today there are 4.3 billion email users in the world — more than half the earth’s population.

In commerce, 64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach customers, with 33% of marketers sending weekly emails to communicate with their target audiences.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss what email marketing is as well as the different types of emails you should send your leads and customers – all with the goal of providing helpful information while increasing conversions.

What is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is a powerful tool for businesses to reach their customers and potential customers. It’s an effective way to stay in touch with people, build relationships, and increase sales.

Email marketing involves sending out marketing emails that are tailored specifically to the recipient’s interests or needs. These emails can include newsletters, promotional offers, product updates, and more.

Benefits of Email Marketing

An email list is one of the most valuable assets for any business — 81% of SMBs rely on email to acquire customers and 80% use it to retain them.

It’s no surprise that 89% of marketers also use email as their primary channel for generating leads.

Source: Oberlo

Email marketing offers several benefits for businesses and marketers.

Wide Reach: Billions of people use email globally. That means, when you send emails, you have the potential to reach a large audience instantly.

Cost-Effective: Compared to traditional marketing channels, email marketing is relatively inexpensive. You can save costs on printing, postage, and advertising, making it a cost-effective way to promote your products or services.

Targeted and Personalized Messaging: Email marketing allows you to segment your audience and send targeted messages based on demographics, interests, or previous interactions. Personalized emails have higher engagement rates and can lead to increased conversions.

Increased Website Traffic: Well-crafted email campaigns with relevant content and compelling calls-to-action can drive traffic to your website or landing pages. By including links and driving recipients to specific pages, you can generate website visits and potentially increase conversions.

Relationship Building: An effective email marketing strategy helps you build and nurture relationships with your audience. Regularly sending valuable content, updates, and offers keeps your brand top-of-mind and fosters trust and loyalty among subscribers.

Increased Conversion Rates: Emails have a higher conversion rate compared to other marketing channels. By delivering personalized and relevant content, you can encourage recipients to take action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a webinar, or downloading a resource.

Automation and Scalability: Email marketing platforms offer automation features that allow you to set up automated email campaigns based on triggers or actions. You can send confirmation emails, announcement emails, milestone emails, abandoned emails, and casual messages without human intervention. This saves time and enables you to scale your efforts by reaching a larger audience.

Measurable Results: Detailed email marketing metrics allow you to track the performance of your email campaigns. You can monitor open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and other key metrics to measure the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts and make data-driven decisions.

Seamless Integration: Email marketing can be seamlessly integrated with other marketing channels such as social media, content marketing, and lead generation. You can leverage email to reinforce your overall marketing strategy and create a cohesive customer experience.

Easy to Get Started: Starting an email marketing campaign is relatively simple, especially with the availability of user-friendly email marketing platforms. You can quickly create visually appealing emails, manage subscriber lists, and track campaign performance with minimal technical knowledge.

It’s important to note that successful email marketing campaigns require adhering to best practices, including obtaining proper consent, providing value to subscribers, and respecting privacy regulations. Building a quality email list and crafting engaging content is crucial for reaping the full benefits of email marketing.

How to Build Your Email Database and Mailing List

Before you can run any email marketing campaign, you need to build a list of subscribers you want to promote your products to.

Here are some steps to help you build your email database and mailing list:

Define Your Target Audience: Identify the specific audience you want to reach with your emails. Understand their demographics, interests, and needs to create targeted and relevant content.

Choose an Email Marketing Service: Select a reputable email marketing service provider that suits your needs. Some popular options include Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and AWeber. These platforms offer features like list management, automation, and analytics.

Create an Opt-In Form: Design an opt-in form that allows people to subscribe to your mailing list. Place the form prominently on your website, blog, and social media profiles. The form should be simple and ask for minimal information, such as name and email address.

Offer Incentives: Encourage people to subscribe to your mailing list by offering valuable incentives such as exclusive content, discounts, free e-books, or access to webinars. This motivates visitors to provide their email addresses willingly.

Use Pop-ups and Slide-ins: Utilize pop-ups or slide-in forms on your website to capture the attention of visitors. However, ensure that these forms are not intrusive and provide an easy way to close them if the visitor is not interested.

Guest Blogging and Content Marketing: Write guest blog posts on relevant websites and include a call-to-action (CTA) in your author bio, directing readers to subscribe to your mailing list. Additionally, create high-quality content on your own blog to attract organic traffic and provide opportunities for readers to join your list.

Host Webinars or Events: Organize webinars or events related to your industry and require participants to register with their email addresses. This allows you to gather email contacts and build your list while providing value through educational sessions.

Networking and Partnerships: Collaborate with other businesses or influencers in your industry to cross-promote each other’s mailing lists. This strategy helps you reach new audiences and expand your database.

Maintain GDPR Compliance: If you operate in the European Union or target EU residents, ensure that you comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidelines. Obtain explicit consent for collecting and using personal data, and provide clear information about how you handle subscribers’ information.

Remember, building an email database and mailing list takes time and effort. Focus on creating meaningful connections with your subscribers and avoid spamming or overwhelming them with excessive emails.

Now let’s look at the different types of emails you should send to your email subscribers.

9 Different Types of Emails You Should Send to Your Customers

Once you have subscribers, consistently deliver high-quality and engaging content to keep them interested. Send newsletters, updates, exclusive offers, and relevant information that adds value to their inbox.

There are different types of emails for different audience segments that serve different purposes.

What are the different types of emails you should send to your subscribers?

1. Welcome Emails

The first among the different types of emails you should send subscribers is the gold standard: the welcome email.

Greeting new email subscribers leaves a positive first impression and establishes the atmosphere of future interactions with your company. A good welcome email should thank subscribers for signing up while providing them with relevant information such as:

What they can expect from future communications.
How often they will receive messages from you.

When thanking subscribers in your email list, make sure the message is genuine and sincere – not just another automated response. This is the perfect opportunity to showcase your company’s personality and create an emotional connection with people in your email list.

In addition to expressing gratitude, you could provide recipients with more information about your business. Some ideas include:

Introducing key team members.
Highlighting popular blog posts.
Offering sneak peeks into upcoming products or services.
Offering exclusive discounts or promotions only available to those who have signed up for your email list.

Screenshot of the welcome email from Lyft

2. Promotional Emails

The primary benefit of sending promotional emails is to increase sales and revenue by offering customers incentives to purchase your products or services. This could be in the form of coupons or discounts that make it more attractive to buy from you vs. competitors.

Promotional emails can also help boost customer loyalty and engagement through exclusive access to content and offers only available through your business.

Lastly, these types of emails can help build brand recognition since they often include images, fonts, and colors associated with your company which will stay in the minds of customers.

There are many types of promotional emails that businesses use depending on their goals. These include limited-time offers (LTOs), flash sales announcements, and holiday specials among others. Each type has its own purpose so it’s important to understand which type of promotional email is best for the occasion.

For example, if you want immediate results, then an LTO might be best. Whereas if you want long-term growth, then a newsletter may be better suited for this goal.

Example of a promotional email from Grammarly

3. Newsletter Emails

Email newsletters are a great way to engage with your audience, build relationships, and keep them informed about what’s happening in your business.

But, creating an effective newsletter isn’t as easy as it sounds. In fact, these types of emails take careful planning and thoughtful content to ensure that you get the most out of each issue.

You may want to consider sending out weekly newsletters on specific topics related to your industry – like tips & tricks or case studies – so readers have something interesting and informative waiting in their inboxes each week.

Before launching a newsletter, do some research into the industry you’re targeting. See if newsletters are common practice in this space and take note of what other companies are doing with their own newsletters — what type of content they put out and how often they send them. This will give you a better idea of what works (and doesn’t) when it comes to crafting an effective email newsletter for your own company.

When creating your weekly newsletter content, focus on quality over quantity. Stick to one topic per issue so readers don’t feel overwhelmed by too much information at once.

Consider including helpful tips related to the product or service you offer, interesting facts about your industry, a behind-the-scenes look at how things work in your business or organization — anything that adds value for readers. Keep track of which types of content perform best so that you can continue producing engaging material for future issues.

Give readers opportunities to interact with the content by adding polls or surveys where appropriate. Ask questions throughout the body copy. Provide links to additional resources like blog posts or whitepapers.

Lastly, add social media buttons so subscribers can easily share your articles, and include a strong call-to-action to encourage people to act after reading through an issue.

Screenshot of Moz’s semi-monthly newsletter

4. Re-Engagement Emails

Re-engagement emails are an important part of any email marketing strategy. These types of emails can help bring back inactive customers and get them interested in your product or service again.

These types of emails typically focus on providing incentives or special offers that will encourage the customer to come back and make a purchase.

The first step in creating effective re-engagement emails is identifying which customers have gone inactive. Look at data on open rates, clickthrough rates, purchases, and website visits so you can determine who hasn’t been engaging with your brand recently.

Once you have identified these customers, you can then create targeted campaigns specifically designed for them. This way, you won’t be wasting time sending messages to people who aren’t likely to respond anyway.

Another key element of successful re-engagement emails is personalization. You want the message to feel like it was written just for the recipient – not just another generic email blast sent out en masse.

Include their name in the subject line or body of the email and use language that speaks directly to them. Mention any past purchases they may have made and offer discounts based on their previous buying habits.

When you send emails for re-engagement, try using words like “limited time only” or “hurry before supplies run out!” This helps create a sense of urgency around your marketing emails to prompt recipients to take action now.

If possible, include a countdown timer showing exactly how much time there is left before the offer expires – this has been proven to increase conversions significantly compared with regular non-urgent messages!

A curated list of new shows that Netflix sends to its subscribers

5. Transactional Emails

Transactional emails are types of emails that provide subscribers in your email list with timely and relevant information about their purchases or account activity.

Transactional emails can also help businesses track user behavior and preferences so they can better target their marketing campaigns in the future.

Common examples of transactional emails include:

Order confirmations.
Shipping notifications.
Payment receipts.
Password reset requests.
Subscription renewal reminders.
And more.

Confirmation emails are usually triggered by a specific action such as making a purchase or changing an account setting.

For example, when a customer makes an online purchase on your website, you could send them an email confirming that their order has been placed successfully along with details like an estimated delivery date.

Similarly, when a subscriber’s password is changed, it is customary to send them an email notifying them of this specific action to prevent unauthorized access to their account.

Screenshot of a Reddit transactional email

6. Abandoned Cart Emails

Abandoned cart emails can be used as a reminder for customers who have left items behind in their shopping carts, encouraging them to complete the transaction.

Leftover items in the shopping cart can be recalled with these types of emails, prompting shoppers to follow through with their purchases. Abandoned emails should be tailored based on the recipient’s purchase history and include personalized recommendations that may spark an impulse buy or further engagement with your brand.

Messages of this kind can also provide you with useful information about customer behavior, which can help devise a more effective email strategy in the future. For instance, if you find that most people who abandon carts do so because of expensive shipping costs, you could adjust your pricing structure or offer free shipping vouchers for certain orders over a certain amount.

Screenshot of Dollar Shave Club’s abandoned cart email series

7. Progress Update Emails

Progress update emails are an effective way to reach out to inactive subscribers in your email list and keep them in the loop.

Major changes like new product launches and updated branding initiatives should be highlighted, but even small wins such as hitting certain social media follower counts deserve recognition too. You can use these emails to show off how far you’ve come while also keeping your email lists engaged and informed.

When announcing progress updates to your email lists, make sure that each message is tailored to the recipient and contains relevant information that resonates with them.

Start by thanking subscribers for their loyalty and interest in what you do – this helps establish trust from the get-go. Then move on to providing clear details about any accomplishments or developments that have occurred recently, whether it’s launching a new product line, celebrating an anniversary milestone, or just hitting a certain number of followers on Twitter. Let people know why they should care.

Sending out regular progress update emails is essential for keeping your email list engaged and informed about all of the exciting things happening at your company. When done right, these types of messages can be powerful tools for boosting customer loyalty while driving sales growth at the same time. So don’t forget about them when creating your email marketing strategy.

A product update email from Airtable

8. Lead Nurturing Email Sequences

Lead nurturing emails are an important part of any successful email strategy. These types of emails are designed to build relationships with potential customers and keep them engaged in the sales process.

The main benefit of lead nurturing emails is that they help you stay top-of-mind with prospects who may not yet be ready to buy but could potentially become loyal customers down the road if nurtured properly through these email campaigns.

These types of messages allow you to track engagement levels so you know exactly where each individual prospect stands in terms of interest level and readiness to buy.

Lead nurturing emails can be an effective way for businesses to build relationships over time. In contrast, relying on one-off promotional offers often has limited success.

Screenshot of a lead nurturing email from Sephora

9. Survey Emails

Thanking customers for their loyalty is a great way to show appreciation and encourage them to continue engaging with your business.

The best way to thank customers is through an email survey that includes questions about their experience with your product or service. This will give you valuable feedback that can be used to improve the customer experience and increase conversions.

When creating a survey email, make sure it’s personalized and contains clear instructions on how long the survey should take and what type of information you are looking for. You can also offer incentives such as discounts or free products in exchange for completing the survey.

Include questions that address specific areas of improvement. This way, you can get direct feedback from your customers on how they feel about certain aspects of your business or product offerings.

You can also ask open-ended questions to allow your customers to provide more detailed responses than simply choosing from multiple-choice options.

Asking follow-up questions based on their initial response helps draw out further details while giving customers the opportunity to share their thoughts in greater depth.

Finally, don’t forget to end each question with an actionable suggestion so respondents know what kind of changes could result from sharing their opinion. This encourages engagement even after they submit the survey.

Screenshot of a feedback email from Fiji Airways

Implementing Your Email Marketing Strategy

Now that you’re armed with a boatload of knowledge about the different types of emails you should send, it’s time to put theory into action.

How do you run an email marketing campaign and make it work?

Know Your Audience

First things first, remember the golden rule: know thy subscriber. Analyze their preferences and behavior patterns before deciding which types of emails to send.

The timing for sending out promotional emails might differ from lead nurturing or milestone emails.

A study shows that Tuesday at 10 AM is often considered the best time to send promotional emails.

Sending anniversary emails on the actual day can make subscribers feel extra special.

Avoid Busy Times

Try to avoid sending emails during peak business hours or busy times when people are likely to be overwhelmed with work and less likely to engage with their inboxes. This can vary depending on the industry and the type of audience you are targeting.

Consider Time Zones

If your target audience spans multiple time zones, consider segmenting your email list based on geographic location and sending emails at appropriate times for each segment. Many email marketing tools offer features to schedule emails based on recipients’ time zones.

Weekdays vs. Weekends

In general, weekdays tend to have higher email open and click-through rates compared to weekends. However, the specific days of the week that works best for your audience may vary. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are often considered optimal, but it’s essential to test and analyze your own data.

Morning vs. Afternoon

Sending emails in the morning can be effective as people tend to check their emails when they start their workday. However, depending on your audience, sending emails in the afternoon might also yield good results when people have some downtime and are more likely to engage with their inboxes.

Consider Mobile Usage

With the prevalence of smartphones, many people check their emails on mobile devices throughout the day. Therefore, consider optimizing your emails for mobile and testing different times to capture mobile users’ attention.

Source: CoSchedule

Conclusion

Email marketing is a powerful tool for businesses, no question.

There are different types of emails you should send to your customers at different stages of the buyer journey.

Transactional emails keep customers informed about their purchases.
Email newsletters provide regular updates on products or services, promotional emails drive sales.
Lead nurturing emails increase customer loyalty.
Survey emails also play an important role in email marketing campaigns by providing valuable feedback that helps shape future strategies.

Another easy way to stay on top of the email-sending game is to use an automation platform. For example, SureTriggers is a flexible automation platform that enables organizations to easily send numerous sorts of emails. It automates the distribution of personalized emails to engage and nurture your audience, from welcome letters to re-engagement campaigns. For instance, it can be used to send welcome emails to new subscribers, offering them a warm greeting, great resources, and a unique discount to promote continuing interaction with your company.

Ultimately, by taking advantage of these different types of emails, you can maximize the effectiveness of your communication efforts with customers.

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